Rescuers offer to help puppy find new home

The Fenders and another motorist will pay adoption and license fees.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
LORDSTOWN -- A Lordstown couple who rescued a puppy from Meander Reservoir now want to help the puppy find a good home.
On their way to Austintown around 2 p.m. Sunday, Dean and Debbie Fender were driving across the Meander Reservoir bridge on Mahoning Avenue when they saw a deer and a puppy struggling to swim in the lake.
The puppy is available for adoption at the Mahoning County dog warden's office on Industrial Road.
"She's a sweet dog, and we hope that someone out there will want her," said Debbie Fender. She believes the puppy is a mixed breed.
The Fenders and another motorist who stopped to help in the rescue efforts are willing to pay for the dog license and any fees required by the dog warden's office for someone who will give the puppy a good home.
Debbie Fender said the deer made it safely to shore on its own but was a little disoriented. Police and game officials who arrived did not go near the deer because they were afraid it would spook and go back into the lake, Debbie Fender said.
She said both the puppy and the deer were fighting for their lives in the water.
"They were both desperately trying to fight and swim out of the icy lake," she said.
What they did
The Fenders called police and turned the truck around to wait. They could not ignore the puppy's terrified cries as it struggled, however.
Debbie Fender said the puppy went under a couple of times and was clearly going to drown.
"You're not supposed to go to the lake, but my husband couldn't wait," she said. "He jumped the fence and ran down to the lake. He called the puppy, trying to coax it to shore."
Debbie Fender stayed on the bridge as her husband stood on the shore and called to the puppy. He then lay down on the ground, reaching for the puppy as it approached shore.
"I went down by the fence with a blanket I had in the truck," she said. "When the puppy got close enough to shore, my husband grabbed it and ran over to the fence. I took the puppy and ran to the warmth of the truck and started drying the puppy off."
By then, other motorists had stopped to help, and an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, firefighters and the Meander game warden had arrived, she said.
The Mahoning County dog warden's office is at 589 Industrial Road, Youngstown.
Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Kennel hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
tullis@vindy.com